Max Doyle will celebrate his fourth birthday on Saturday, Sept. 8 with thousands of shoppers and his family who are grateful to see him reach this milestone.

Max was born in Lindsay with a chromosome microdeletion, which means he’s missing a piece of a chromosome, which contributes to one’s ability to swallow and also affects physical and cognitive development. Max’s first three weeks were spent at Orillia Soldier’s Memorial Hospital in the neo-natal ICU where he overcame breathing challenges, a serious blood infection and issues with the left side of this body. The Doyles were told Max would require a feeding tube and may never walk or talk.

While one month old, he started aggressive physiotherapy, respiratory therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy at Five Counties Children’s Centre to overcome the choking issues and to support his development.

“Max wouldn’t be here without Five Counties Children’s Centre,” his father Tony Doyle says. “He was months behind in his development and now he’s caught up and no longer has any issues with swallowing, thanks to the staff at Five Counties Children’s Centre. They gave him the best shot at having a normal life.”

By getting treatment early, Max responded quickly. He even had two Five Counties’ team members travel to Toronto to be part of swallow tests so they could better work with Sick Kids on Max’s care and rehabilitation. They also gave the Doyle family exercises and activities that his four older siblings could do at home with him. Max’s siblings were also a huge part of his recovery.

“In addition to the amazing support Five Counties provided to Max, they also provided emotional support to our family,” his mother Kelly Doyle says. “Most often the appointments would start with asking how we were doing with all of this and offer a hug. It was such a scary time for all of us with not knowing Max’s fate and we felt so much support from the therapists and are truly thankful for them.”

This year, the couple and Max’s four siblings will join staff and volunteers from the children’s treatment centre at Behind Closed Doors, a private shopping event at Lansdowne Place, to mark Max’s birthday with blue cupcakes. Shoppers will be invited to sign his birthday card as a memento from the evening.

Behind Closed Doors is an annual event where Lansdowne Place opens up on a Saturday evening to shoppers who buy tickets in support of 12 local charities. Five Counties is one of this year’s charities, selling tickets $5 in advance at the Centre or at the mall. All ticket proceeds sold for Five Counties goes directly back to their organization.

Tickets at the door are sold for $10 each (while supplies last) at Lansdowne Place when the doors open at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 8. The event runs until 10:30 p.m. with exciting discounts and promotions offered throughout the mall for one night only alongside entertainment based on a Mardi Gras theme.

Visit lansdowneplace.com for full event details.

To buy ticket or find out more about Five Counties Children’s Centre, contact Lois Tuffin, Fund Development Co-ordinator, at 705-748-2337, ext. 380 or ltuffin@fivecounties.on.ca.

Organizers of Winterfest are seeking some extra hands to help assemble, decorate and raffle off trees and additional items in support of Five Counties Children’s Centre from Nov. 22 to 25.

Each November for the past three years, a local committee pulls together a collection of beautifully decorated trees and displays them at Lindsay Square. Other season items, entertainers and a Kids Zone also occupy the central hallways of the mall the week after Santa starts hosting visitors as they share their Christmas wishes.

In order to make this event happen, a large group of volunteers is needed to gather donations, set up for the event and help during the celebration. If you are handy, creative or enjoy the Christmas season, you would be welcome to join in.

Congratulations to this year’s recipient of the Dr. Mary Thain Bursary, physiotherapist Ange. Created in recognition of Dr. Thain’s service to Five Counties Children’s Centre and her commitment to promoting excellence in health care, the Bursary is awarded to one Five Counties Children’s Centre employee annually, and supports their participation in the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine Annual Meeting.

“I’m thrilled to receive the award. This international conference is fantastic,” says Ange. “There’s so much to learn and share.”

The Academy’s mission is “to provide scientific education for health professionals and promote excellence in research and services for the benefit of people with and at risk for cerebral palsy and other childhood-onset disabilities”. The 72nd AACPDM Annual Meeting’s theme is “Transformative Journeys”.

As part of Five Counties Children’s Centre’s commitment to providing quality care to clients and their families, the Centre sends an annual survey to clients and their parents asking for feedback on service and information provided to them. Watch your mail for your survey or take a few moments to complete the survey online.

Results of the survey and action taken as a result of this survey will be posted on the Five Counties Children’s Centre website (www.fivecounties.on.ca).

If you would like assistance in the completion of this questionnaire, please call Elizabeth Martinell, 705-748-2337, ext. 320 or toll free at 1-888-770-9916, ext. 320.

Friends, clients and staff past and present shared jokes, stories and hugs as we wished our Dr. Mary Thain a very happy retirement from Five Counties Children’s Centre. Thank you to the Peterborough Examiner for sharing some special moments with our communities.

Dr. Shelina Manji has joined Five Counties Children’s Centre as our new Medical Director effective September 1, 2017.

Dr. Manji is ideally suited to be our Medical Director. Prior to becoming a physician, Dr. Manji received her Master of Science Speech-Language Pathology from the University of South Florida, Tampa. She spent several years working in Ontario as a speech language pathologist at children’s treatment centres in Toronto and London. As a result she has significant experience working with children with special needs and complex medical problems, from both the medical and rehabilitation perspectives.

Dr. Manji, general pediatrician with a fellowship in genetics, received her Doctor of Medicine from McMaster University, Hamilton; her residency in pediatrics, Detroit; and her fellowship in genetics at the Henry Ford Hospital Detroit. She has been living and practicing in Naperville, Illinois where she practiced at Kids’ MD at Home, a community based solo pediatric practice providing well visits and acute care for children.

Dr. Manji has published articles in the journal Pediatrics and for the American Society of Human Genetics.